Terry Hodges was diagnosed with terminal cancer just days before jetting to Cyprus to celebrate his wedding anniversary

A heartbroken widow, whose husband was diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer on their first wedding anniversary, is appealing for information that could help understand his death.

Terry Hodges was diagnosed with terminal cancer just days before jetting to Cyprus to celebrate his anniversary with wife Carole.

The 67-year-old was told the cancer was linked to the toxic material after finding a lump on his chest in May 2011, and died a year later.

Now Carole is searching for answers of how husband Terry, who worked as a tool setter, could has been exposed to the deadly material.

“It was very distressing” said Carole, from Great Barr. “We were about to go to Cyprus to celebrate our first wedding anniversary when we got the phone call from the hospital”

“We were stunned. I don’t think Terry fully grasped what he was being told.”

“He kept saying that he was going to beat it. But it really sapped his strength and he lost a lot of weight towards the end.”

Now retired typist Carole is calling on anyone who worked with Terry to help shed light how he came into contact with the deadly asbestos.

“After his diagnosis he thought back about what might have caused this illness” said Carole.

“He said that when he was a tool setter there used to be asbestos in the ovens and it was also in the gloves he wore.

“It’s upsetting to think that when Terry was going to work he was in conditions which years later would cause him to die from this awful illness.”

She is hoping to trace former colleagues – particularly people who worked in Streetly Manufacturing on Aldridge Road, Streetly, between 1962 and 1986 and Linpac Moulding between 1985 and 1991.

Carole’s lawyer Kevin Johnson of Slater & Gordon said: “At a time when they should have been celebrating their wedding anniversary, they had to confront news that Terry was terminally ill because of the actions of a former employer.

“We hope to hear from someone who can shed light on the working conditions Terry faced during his career.”